Women leaders renewing Niagara
What do I tell my daughter? This question was presented to us in an Audi TV ad titled “Daughter” while many of us watched the Super Bowl on Feb. 5.
I can’t seem to get this question out of my mind as I have two daughters and a son.
The ad was designed to position the Audi brand in front of its target market but it did so by taking on the real issue of equality in the workplace.
The Audi commercial has a young lady, a tween, in a down-hill go-kart race against a field of boys. She gets bumped up along the way and at the halfway point the male narrator, the father, states as he watches his daughter race: “… do I tell her that despite her education, her drive, her skills, her intelligence, she will automatically be valued as less than every man she ever meets?” (www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6u10YPk_34)
How would I answer this if my two daughters (17 and 11) presented this situation to me? Would I answer it differently if my 15-yearold son presented this to me? Here is my answer. Women in Niagara are working hard to challenge the status quo by renewing our workplaces and economy.
Wendy Wing, vice-president of Rankin Construction, and Jessica Friesen, CEO of Gales Gas Bar, have stepped forward to lead their family businesses into the future in a manner that exudes optimism by growing their company and jobs in our region.
Carolyne Watts is the first-ever female plant manager of General Motors’ St. Catharines operations and is also the chair of the Niagara College board of governors.
Shirley Cheechoo is an awardwinning actress, playwright and filmmaker and has become Brock University’s first aboriginal woman chancellor.
Mishka Balsom, president/CEO of Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce, and Dolores Fabiano, executive director of the Niagara Falls, Welland-Pelham and Port Colborne-Wainfleet chambers of commerce, are both open-minded thinkers who have clearly become the voices of business in Niagara.
The recent brilliantly crafted event Haste and Hustl was conceived by businesswoman Shauna Arnott. When it came to her moment to take a bow, her post on Facebook put the spotlight on the team as she states: “Lorraine Snihur, Erica Walters and Carina D’Angelo, these three ladies could probably get the Earth to reverse its spin if it was required. xo –Shauna.”
I will tell all three of my children that we are seeing progress in Niagara because every day countless women take action to make a difference, yet we all need to think about doing more.
We must ensure that the boardrooms and senior management teams of our businesses, educational organizations and government reflect the full diversity of society.
The local political scene in our region is a reflection of our society as only two of the 12 mayors in Niagara are female; Sandra Easton in Lincoln and April Jeffs in Wainfleet. Mayor Easton’s leadership has led her municipality to become recognized for its progressiveness policies and cohesive council. Mayor Jeff’s responsiveness to community needs has enabled her township to come together to take on some of the most daunting challenges a rural community can face in Ontario today.
I have learned that a group of women have begun meeting with the intention of supporting female candidates who chose to run for political office. This is one of several groups that have emerged with the goal of challenging the status quo in a manner that rises us all up. Kudos to you all.
The female tween in the Audi commercial has a tough race, but in the end she triumphs. The final statement by the father/narrator is a response to his own proposition: “… or maybe I will be able to tell her something different.”
Maya Angelou once said that “if you don’t like something, change it.” I can tell my two daughters, Samantha and Hunter, with confidence that things are changing because leaders are stepping forward across Niagara to build a more inclusive society and forge a better future for all.